Maple Oatmeal Bread

Having spent most of my youth in New Hampshire on the border with Maine I have a great affinity for maple syrup.  The real stuff is sooooo very good.  And while it’s nearly impossible to find American maple syrup in California (Canadian imports are readily available- go figure), my husband used to work in Vermont and actually did maple sugaring for a time.  So whenever we need maple syrup, we order a 1/2 gallon from Spring Lake Ranch (http://www.springlakeranch.org/support/order-now). Not only is it a taste from my youth and part of my husband’s past, but it’s also a good cause.  The proceeds go to support a therapeutic community that goes a long way to helping people back to wellness.  We get grade B cuz it’s yummy!!! 

This bread is different from other oatmeal breads I’ve had in that we soak the oatmeal in water for an hour before we even begin the dough.  That might be why the dough was so sticky. Either way, the maple syrup is what makes this bread.  The sweetness and special flavor that maple imparts is so good.  This bread is oh so soft and yummy.  A personal fav!!

Maple Oatmeal Bread [two loaves]

Ramona Stafford via Bernard Clayton

INGREDIENTS     

2 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup quick or regular rolled oats

1 package dry yeast

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cooking oil

5 cups bread flour, approximately

BAKING PANS: 2 medium (8"-x-4") loaf pans, greased or Teflon

In a large bowl pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and set aside to soak for 1 hour.

Sprinkle the yeast over the cooled oatmeal and stir to mix. Add the maple syrup, salt, cooking oil, and 3 cups flour. Blend all the ingredients. It will have the consistency of a heavy batter.

FIRST RISING: 1 hour

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 1 hour.

Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a dough that can be lifted from the bowl and placed on the surface to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour if the ball of dough is sticky. The dough should clean the bowl in the final stages of kneading.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into loaves. Drop each into a prepared pan. Push the dough into the corners.

SECOND RISING: 45 mins.

Cover the pans with wax or parchment paper and leave at room temperature until the dough reaches the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° 15 minutes before baking.

Bake the bread for 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and turn the loaves from the pans. Place the loaves on a metal rack to cool before serving.